The Deathwatch Squat Project

[hensarita]

I'm coming back to 40k after a break, and I'm jumping into a passion project that I've always wanted to do. My goal is to create a Primaris Deathwatch army, using squats as flavour and heavily converted Kharadron Overlords as models. I have a plan, and I have about 500 points worth in mid-conversion, but I'm undecided on a bunch of things and I would love some veteran input! Here's the pitch;

 

 

The Blurb

The army is a group of Voidnauts, space-faring mercenaries with high-tech gear descended from the Squats after their world was devoured by the Tyranids. As you'd expect, they're tough as nails, and operate in small bands of specialists. They keep some of the older squat traditions, such as custom equipment  and specially built warmachines, but they've abandoned others. Think no Squat bikers (there are no roads in space), and the archetypal Dwarven Honour is warped. A Voidnaut's honour is his contract. Once signed and sealed, Voidnauts risk everything for their employer unless they bring shame upon their name and crew. Conversely, if a contract is broken by their employer, the Voidnauts will take what they're owed by force, and with appropriate interest. Voidnauts operate solely with consumables and technology. Their fleets are always looking to improve, adjust, and customise their equipment whenever they can. Archeotech and Xeno technology is of particular value, and they are well versed in taking such prizes without a contract if the situation presents itself.

 

 

So why Deathwatch?

Firstly, I've never played Deathwatch and I want to try out the Primaris. I've done regular space marines to death, and I want to see what the new boys can do! I'm not married to Primaris HQ choices, however.

Secondly, it fits the above fluff. Custom gear (Primaris weapon profiles, SIA, power armour across the board), classic dwarven toughness (T4, W2, ATSKNF), and hardcore military training (basically everything else) roll nicely into a short, angry, space dwarf package.

 

 

The Conversions

The Kharadron Overlords are a gorgeous line of sculpts, so for the most part the bodies of the models will be unchanged. The weapons, however, will be the same as their standard imperial counterparts. This is primarily for game balance; Kharadron guns are unique, and I want my opponents to see what my units are equipped with at a glance. I'm going to convert the weapons where necessary, such as removing the imperial aquila and replacing it with runes, but otherwise plasma will look like plasma, and boltguns will look like boltguns.

For larger models, such as vehicles, I'm going to make them look more rounded using the Kharadron Overlord vehicle kits. Dreadnoughts are going to be run as piloted Exo-Armour, an allusion to the older exo armour of the squats, but as mechs rather than terminator equivalents. Tanks will still be tanks and have no idea what to do with the repulsor, but i'll get to that later.

 

 

The Army List

Honestly? Not a bloody clue! The army is meant to be fluffy. I don't play competitive, my luck is atrocious, so I build to have fun and make stories happen. I intend to build at least one of each Primaris unit, see how they handle with the mixed-unit deathwatch rules, and go from there. I expect to be Hellblaster heavy, because the idea of space dwarf pirates wielding whacking great plasma guns is funny to me. I can build additional units depending on what works what doesn't work, or if something just feels right for the army. As a side note, I don't believe in named characters, at least not in custom projects, because they're not my guys, you know? That includes upgrade characters like Chronus or Pask. By all means, take them if you're playing their force, but I like to try and make my own stories. I'm a dork, but whatever. 

As I mentioned before, I'm not married to Primaris HQ choices. In truth, I'm not married to Primaris marines at all, so long as the unit in question has more than one wound.

I only have three things I want to keep for certain;

A watch master. He will be my Void Admiral, the leader of the fleet. I'd run him with Vigilance Incarnate and Tome of Ectoclades for maximum just as planned buggery.

A librarian. The old Squats once had a psyker hero called the Living Ancestor, a being whose lifespan extended far beyond that of a regular dwarf. Whether they became psychic because of their longevity, or if their longevity is a result of their manifested psychic powers, was impossible to say. I want a librarian to honour that unit, although how I'd do it is beyond me. Optimally speaking, I'd give him a jump pack, launch him at an imperial knight and use Null Zone, then empty hellblaster fire into the cheesy git. Then I think for the fluff, would an army send an elderly man hurtling towards an enemy on a rocket strapped to his back? I doubt it, especially if they're well respected. 

A Redemptor Dreadnought. My Exo-Armour. Not optimal, i know that much, but I love the kit and I want to try modelling one! I saw a conversion online and it really sparked my imagination. Currently scheduled for being Dakka equipped, since I hear the plasma option can be unreliable. Still, magnets are my friend.

 

 

What do you think?

Here's what I'm currently thinking over, and I'd love some honest feedback, suggestions, advice, and opinions!

 

The Living Ancestor Build.

If we're talking slow and high defence, the obvious candidate is terminator armour, albeit I'll have to figure out a way of converting a terminator squat. You know what? I might do that anyway, for the challenge! Terminator armour also gives him access to a Force Axe, which feels more dwarven than a sword.

 

The Aggressor conversion.

I keep going backwards and forwards on this one; early dryfits make dwarves with big hands look a tad strange. I was thinking some kind of over-shoulder weapon array or a bolter arrangement. It looks kind of better, but doesn't scream 'aggressor.' 

 

The Repulsor Issue.

When I first conceived this project, I imagined bashing the repulsor with the Ironclad kit. Imagine a floating sky fortress! Sadly, from what i've read the repulsor doesn't bring enough to the table, nor is it large enough to be considered a 'fortress.' On top of that, the rule clarification where its movement is measured from its hull doesn't mix well with an elevated model with a round shape, a la the Ironclad. Although it's a Primaris unit, I'm putting this one on the back burner. If the list needs it i'll bring one, but if not, meh.

 

Increasing the size of the army/ custom machines.

This is more of a personal roadmap, but there are a couple of things I want to add to the force, but I'm not sure how best to go about it. Building on the squat lore from Epic, Squat war machines were custom crafted, so every machine was different. I don't think it did anything on tabletop, but if you're familiar with the more recent WFB Dwarf books, they had a rune system where players could craft their own magic items, so the trend of 'unique custom gear' is a thread throughout the systems. Even the Kharadron Overlords books is replete with options about building your own skyfleet, and adding special rules to the ships! It's an awesome thematic I really hope geedubs brings back to 40k, one way or another.

Back on point; the current arrangement of Primaris fare doesn't do this archetype justice, and the list is in dire need of long range anti-tank, so I want a way of adding it to the force. I've had a couple of ideas, and I'd love to hear some more if you can think of any.

 

 - IG spearhead detachment, Tank commander and 3 Russes. With some Kharadron swag, the most customisable tank in the imperium can be made as the iron fist of the Voidnauts! The BS4+ is a turn off, but one could argue that older tanks have antiquated logic engines. They can be built depending on the army and the situation, and can fill almost any role. I do love the ol' russ.

 

- Deathwatch Spearhead, Captain with three ven dreads. Think of this as an Exo-Armour detachment. Long range firepower with rerolls. Not exactly elegant, but I'll have plenty of conversion options! 

 

 - Honorable mention, Space Marines Captain with Centurions. Now, this is a modelling opportunity more than anything, but it might be good on the table. Centurions pack long range anti tank on a semi-mobile platform, so that fits a hole nicely, but I'd model them by kitbashing the Bullgryn masks and legs with the Stormfiend body and arms, equipped with Centurion weapons. Imagine lobotomised Ogryns, butchered and mutilated into mindless gun platforms. In the depths of space, metals and frames are precious, but the bodies of Ogryn slaves are expendable. I'd love to see another player's face twist in horror as they see what the Voidnauts have done to them. That being said, that might swing the perception of the Voidnauts from Lawful Neutral to Lawful Evil, if you see what I mean. I still think it would be cool having their captain as a Master of Slaves, although 9 of these abominations would almost be an army unto themselves!

 

So, what do you think? I'm in the middle of a move, so I'm a bit all over the place. I'll have photos ready for the weekend.

 

Ciao for now!

[hensarita]

Some pics at last! The first batch is some WiP conversions for the first 500/600 points. The Redemptor needs some green stuff work to make the face decal more flush with the plate, and the body needs some decal work. I tried drawing decals with a micron pen, but the results weren't as smooth as I wanted, so i scrapped that idea. I picked up a Hammerer and Irondrake kit for the shields and icons. The second batch is a painted Living Ancient, aka a Librarian Terminator. The conversion isn't as profound as the others. The intent was to put a Longbeard head on those lovely shoulders to centralise the psychic power with glowing eyes and whatnot. Now, it just looks like his armour is rusting in places. I also added some Irondrake shoulder pads on some of the softer areas, and gently bent them to fit the contours of the arms. The force stave took a bit of work, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

 

I've revised a bunch of stuff as the project has progressed.

 

Obviously I've found my Living Ancestor build/conversion, and I'm currently dryfitting a kitbash between Kharadron units with Centurions to make Aggressors. I decided against the Slave Ogryn direction, but that's always a conversion for another day.

 

I'm still working on the exact loadouts of my Deathwatch kill teams, but I've decided on using the Imperial Guard. Instead of the Spearhead Detachment, I've decided on a Supreme Command Detachment with three Tank Commanders. It's not points efficient, but with the Tallarn doctrine lets them shoot on the move, and the BS3+ keeps their profiles in line with the rest of the army. Considering Orders and the loadout options, this fits the bill for custom, hi-tech warmachines! If I ever decide to convert a Baneblade, this detachment will also let me make it Tallarn (even if I can't make it BS3+).

 

Next step is finish fleshing out the Deathwatch part of the army, then moving on to the Tank squadron. Ciao for now!

 

 

[Darnok]

Great conversion on the dreadnought, works perfectly!

[Ryltar Thamior]

Oh wow, that's a very cool concept you've got there; and the dreadnought's an excellent proof-of-concept of the blending of the aesthetics. 

Now, personally while I do get what yo're going for by having WYSIWYG with the weapons, I do wonder if the bolt-rifles are a little oversized relative to the Squats carrying them; although having said that, I'm not sure there's too many obvious ways around that if you're keen on keeping to the 'x imperial weapon = x weapon' approach. [i also happen to suspect they might be a little oversized for Primaris Marines as well, but that's another matter] And in any case, upon subsquent inspection, your appraoach with the stocks and side-grips does seem reasonable. 

One possibility might have been to utilize various sorts of Necromunda weapons instead - in particular, Orlock and maybe Goliath guns. They have that solid looking 'industrial' ness to them, but are recognizeably 'futuristic'. It would run into some 'counts as' territory, of course. 

Another is to run squads in such a manner that you avoid larger weapons - bolters instead of bolt-rifles, that sort of thing. I have no idea how viable that is for the units you want. Althogh in terms of some of the thoughts around more heavy-weapon equipped Deathwatch squads being murder ... i suppose you could go the complete opposite direction, and instead sub in frag cannons and the like, possibly on bipods, possibly on something like rapier units, etc. etc. etc. 

Now in terms of your Flying Fortress approach ... rather than a Redemptor, you might instead consider a Corvus Blackstar-alike - possibly build an Iron Eagle Gyrocopter , or a smaller scale derivative of same, by attaching the engine units from a larger Marine transport flyer like a Stormwolf to the side of yer skyship. Or go completely OTT and try building an Antaeus. :D 

Anyway, once again, very cool effort  and keep up the good work! Eager to see what you come up iwth nexxt!

[hensarita]

Oh wow, that's a very cool concept you've got there; and the dreadnought's an excellent proof-of-concept of the blending of the aesthetics. 

 

Now, personally while I do get what yo're going for by having WYSIWYG with the weapons, I do wonder if the bolt-rifles are a little oversized relative to the Squats carrying them; although having said that, I'm not sure there's too many obvious ways around that if you're keen on keeping to the 'x imperial weapon = x weapon' approach. [i also happen to suspect they might be a little oversized for Primaris Marines as well, but that's another matter] And in any case, upon subsquent inspection, your appraoach with the stocks and side-grips does seem reasonable. 

 

One possibility might have been to utilize various sorts of Necromunda weapons instead - in particular, Orlock and maybe Goliath guns. They have that solid looking 'industrial' ness to them, but are recognizeably 'futuristic'. It would run into some 'counts as' territory, of course. 

 

Another is to run squads in such a manner that you avoid larger weapons - bolters instead of bolt-rifles, that sort of thing. I have no idea how viable that is for the units you want. Althogh in terms of some of the thoughts around more heavy-weapon equipped Deathwatch squads being murder ... i suppose you could go the complete opposite direction, and instead sub in frag cannons and the like, possibly on bipods, possibly on something like rapier units, etc. etc. etc. 

 

Now in terms of your Flying Fortress approach ... rather than a Redemptor, you might instead consider a Corvus Blackstar-alike - possibly build an Iron Eagle Gyrocopter , or a smaller scale derivative of same, by attaching the engine units from a larger Marine transport flyer like a Stormwolf to the side of yer skyship. Or go completely OTT and try building an Antaeus.  

 

Anyway, once again, very cool effort  and keep up the good work! Eager to see what you come up iwth nexxt!

I agree with the bolt rifle size issue. Others have brought it to my attention and I'm going to address it for the next wave. I plan on using three kill team units as the core of my force, which equates to 10 more intercessors, and that particular conversion is a ballache to repeat. I love the Necromunda idea, I might put some of those weapons on different conversions. I have Bolt Carbines, Auto Bolt Rifles, and Heavy Bolt pistols to do (the last one won't be a huge issue, I imagine). I'm currently working on a conversion that uses primaris hands and the dwarf arms, but it's not quite there yet.

 

Thank you for your input! I'm looking into stormwolf ships to see if theres any kind of inspiration to be had for my flying fortress!

[Trokair]

Now here is a project I can get behind, reminds me of my Dwarf Mechanicus army I did back in 7th

For weapons choices maybe have a look at Forgeworld, specifically heresy or necromunda upgrade kits, there are a lot of different (and smaller than primaris) weapons that are still recognizable as imperial designs.

The Dread looks good so far, and I like the fact that you can lift up the lid and see the pilot.

For the interceptors, the plasmas look a bit to big compared to the rest of the model, maybe if you can add some form of exo-skeleton support to help hold the guns. While the weapon is clearly identifiable, and therefore the unit it represents, I personally would have been fine if you turned up with the overlord riggers (I cannot recall what they are called) with two normal plasma guns in hand as a count as for the Interceptors.

Here are some pictures I took at some point of my army.

More images in my gallery in case it helps with inspiration:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/gallery/album/11602-dwarf-mechanicus/

[Paradogmatic]

I love this -- makes me want to include a group of the little dudes in my weird plays-as-deathwatch force when I do get around to it too..

[PeteySödes]

Heck yea these are great!

[TheBigAristotle]

I love this

[Canadian_F_H]

I love all of this!

[hensarita]

Coming at you with an update!

I finally based my Librarian after some work. I also finished converting my Watch Master. A lot of things went wrong, including accidentally smashing the converted guardian spear, overpainting the original head, breaking his left hand, and at one point spilling a bottle of nuln oil on him!

 

But now he's done! I kept the head from the first Librarian dryfit, and re coloured it to fit with the green of the weapon and the gems, and I changed his skin tone to something a bit more unnatural. Idk, it felt right. I had to do some creative Greenstuffing to give him some ruffles that matched his collar, since the dwarf head didn't quite fit. Most of the parts are from the Hammerer and Irondrake kits, including the axe and his tome (aka THA BOOK O' GRUDGES!).

 

Moving forward, I'm going to work in that green to the other models too as a unifying theme. Thematically, it could be a resource the Voidnauts want that power their tech. Think the skaven obsession with warpstone, but with space dwarves (wyrdstone? that'd be a cool name for it).

 

Still stuck on the meat of the army list. Opinions of Fortis Kill Team loadouts seem to fluctuate across the internet, I legit have no idea what's best for my troop choices. This is a rough sketch of the planned list, and I'd love some input as to how to build primaris teams. 

 

 

HQ

Watch Master

 - Vigilance Incarnate

 - Tome of Ectoclades

 

Terminator Librarian

 - Force Stave

 - Storm Bolter (Not sure if this is better switched out for something else)

 

 

Troops

Fortis Team 1 (Backline campers)

 

Fortis Team 2 (Midrange objectives?)

 

Fortis Team 3 (Midrange objectives?)

 

 

Elites

Redemptor Dread

 

 

Fast Attack

Plasma Inceptors (can either be taken as their own unit or broken up into the fortis teams)

 

 

IG Supreme Command Detachment

 

Those three glorious command tanks, whatever their loadout may be.

 

 

Those're my thoughts, I'd love some input into those Fortis teams!

Ciao for now!

 

[Syward]

This project looks great. I'm really enjoying watching your progress. That Dreadnought is amazing BTW! How's the scale of the heads from these "squats" compared to a Primaris Marine head? (wondering if I could put one of these on a Primaris body - had a thought for a Nordic themed army and these heads would be pretty cool)

[hensarita]

This project looks great. I'm really enjoying watching your progress. That Dreadnought is amazing BTW! How's the scale of the heads from these "squats" compared to a Primaris Marine head? (wondering if I could put one of these on a Primaris body - had a thought for a Nordic themed army and these heads would be pretty cool)

The Overlord heads are bigger than you might expect, and fit into rough scale with each other because the stormcast heads are too small for their bodies anyway!

Here's an amazing conversion from a facebook group I'm a part of with a similar idea. The torso and head work with the legs, yet the left arm is a tad short imo. Anyhoo, i hope this helps for your project!

[hensarita]

Another update!

The first 500 points is finished! Still working on the exact loadouts for the Fortis Kill teams, because the internet doesn't know what's optimal anymore.

The next phase is finishing the dreadnought and working with leman russes.

As usual, if you have any advice with regards to kill teams, I'm all ears!